EU, Ukraine Sign Security Deal

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Facts

• Ukraine and the European Union (EU) signed a long-term security pact in Brussels on Thursday. EU nations conveyed both political and military support for Ukraine.¹
• The deal was signed by Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Council Pres. Charles Michel, and European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen.²
• Thanking the EU leaders at the Brussels summit, Pres. Zelenskyy invited 'everyone in Europe who is still on the sideline of the security war to join us.'³
• Zelenskyy said the agreement expressed approval to 'step up EU sanctions against Russia,' while expressing a portfolio of long-term commitments which Zelenskyy said 'support our country until it joins the EU.'⁴
• Ukraine has reportedly signed 17 bilateral security deals — including with individual European nations like France, Germany, and the UK, as well as the US and Japan.⁵
• A European diplomat reportedly also stated that, even though Ukraine already has individual bilateral deals with some European nations, the agreement with the EU will uniquely leverage the bloc's collective resources to support Kyiv.⁶

Sources: ¹Bloomberg, ²Apa.az, ³Euronews, ⁴President, ⁵France 24 and ⁶Ukraine open for business.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by ECFR. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's security landscape has undergone a tectonic shift. A security deal like the one signed on Thursday in Brussels will unify and strengthen the region's defense efforts, which is key to long-term stability and resilience. European security depends on providing sustained support to Ukraine.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Guardian. The EU and NATO in fact provoked Russia's special operation in Ukraine by expanding eastward over the years. Western actions made Russia feel threatened and gave Putin a pretext for war. While Putin indeed bears some responsibility for the war, the reckless policies of the US and Europe can't be ignored.
• Nerd narrative, as provided by metaculus.com. There is a 19% chance the US or EU will seize Russian sovereign assets in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.